Frank Schleck wins on Curacao
Frank Schleck followed in his younger brother’s footsteps by winning the Amstel Curacao race on Sunday on the island of Curacao, part of the Dutch Antilles and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Caribbean
race is an end-season favourite for many cyclists who use it as more of a vacation than a competition. Andy Schleck’s victory in 2008 was bookended by two Alberto Contador wins and Andy’s elder brother has now added his name to the winners’ list.
"I absolutely wanted to win. Two years ago my brother Andy won. I also wanted my name on the honour roll,” said Frank Schleck. “Curacao is our second home. We are always welcomed by the organizers and
also by the locals and so we wanted to give something back."
The race had originally been scheduled for Saturday but organiser Leo van Vliet had postponed it for 24 hours due to heavy rains. The riders decided that they would go ahead with the meet and greet on
Saturday and they raced a revised, shortened criterium on Sunday.
“The rains have made the route too dangerous,” said van Vliet. “Large portions of the trail are under water. The safety of the riders comes above all.”
The annual event takes place after the closing of the European road season, giving the riders a chance to enjoy the sunshine one last time before the harsh winter.
In his last race at Team Saxo Bank, Frank Schleck soloed ahead of Alessandro Petacchi and Niki Terpstra. He had won the Tour de Suisse early in the season and taken several stage wins and one-day race
top-10 finishes in his build-up to the Tour de France. He crashed out of the Tour in the third stage and his brother Andy went on to finish in second place behind Alberto Contador. Frank recovered from the crash in time for a top-five finish in the Vuelta
a Espana.
The Schleck brothers and many of their former Saxo Bank teammates and staff will be a part of the new Luxembourg Pro Cycling Project in 2011. The team’s finances haven’t been publicly detailed, but Andy
Schleck explained that it is a secure, long-term project.
"There is no public money. It's all private capital from an entrepreneur who has a lot of money and who wanted to get involved in cycling," said the younger Schleck. "We have small sponsors, but the team
name has not yet been decided. The project is for a minimum of five years. I have signed for four, like my brother."
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